The Primary Characteristic of a Kafir: Denial that Jesus is the Son of God
By Dr. Max Shimba, Servant of Jesus Christ, our Great God and Savior – Titus 2:13
Introduction
Many people are unfamiliar with the true meaning and implications of the term Kafir. In common discourse, the term is often misunderstood or used pejoratively. However, in its linguistic and religious context, Kafir is not an insult but a descriptive term referring to someone who rejects, opposes, or goes against a particular faith or religious truth.
The Arabic term Kafir originates from the root meaning “to cover” or “to conceal.” In Islamic theology, it generally denotes a non-believer, someone who rejects the truth of Islam. But from a biblical standpoint, and based on historical chronology and divine revelation, we are compelled to evaluate who truly embodies this title.
This article sets out to explore, through both biblical and Islamic sources, the defining characteristics of a Kafir, particularly in the context of those who deny the divinely revealed identity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
Biblical Testimony Precedes the Qur'an
The Holy Bible predates the Qur'an by approximately 632 years. In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel clearly declares the divine identity of Jesus:
Luke 1:30–31, 35 (NKJV)
"Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. [...] The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
This angelic proclamation, delivered directly from the throne of Jehovah (YHWH), identifies Jesus as the Son of God. Notably, for over six centuries, there is no recorded divine objection to this revelation.
It is only with the advent of Muhammad and the Qur'an that we find the outright denial of this foundational Christian truth.
Qur'anic Denial of Jesus as the Son of God
The Qur'an, composed over six centuries after the New Testament, emphatically denies Jesus' divine sonship. Consider the following verses:
Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:72–73):
“They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary’ while the Messiah has said, ‘O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ Indeed, he who associates others with Allah – Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire.”
“They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is one of three.’ There is no deity except one God.”
Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:75):
“The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a truthful woman. They both used to eat food…”
These verses demonstrate a categorical rejection of the divinity of Jesus and His designation as the Son of God. The Qur’an reduces Christ to a mere prophet and explicitly opposes the Christian Trinitarian understanding of God.
This denial is not incidental—it is intentional opposition to what God had already declared centuries earlier through the Bible. The one who comes after divine revelation and contradicts it fits precisely the biblical definition of one who opposes God’s truth—a Kafir.
Who, Then, Is a Kafir According to the Bible?
The Bible provides a clear criterion for discerning the spirit of truth from the spirit of error. The Apostle John writes:
1 John 4:1–3 (NKJV):
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist…”
The spirit of the Antichrist is defined as any teaching that denies Jesus Christ came in the flesh as the Son of God. This includes ideologies that reject His incarnation, divinity, or messianic identity. Islam’s rejection of Jesus’ sonship places it in direct conflict with biblical doctrine and aligns it with the spirit of Antichrist.
2 John 1:7:
“For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
1 John 2:22:
“Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.”
Therefore, anyone—regardless of title or religious claims—who denies Jesus as the Son of God is biblically identified as an Antichrist and hence a Kafir in the truest spiritual sense.
Allah’s Opposition to Jehovah’s Revelation
An important question arises: If Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, already declared Jesus as His Son centuries before the Qur’an, why did Allah contradict this? Where was Allah during the previous revelations?
Is Allah now claiming to override Jehovah’s declaration? Such theological reversal, centuries after established divine truth, is a definitive trait of a Kafir—one who rejects and opposes previous, divinely revealed truth.
Clarifying the Term ‘Kafir’
To be clear: Kafir is not a slur. It is a descriptor. Just as one may be called a footballer, preacher, or sinner based on what they do or believe, a Kafir is simply one who rejects the truth, particularly the truth of God revealed in earlier Scripture.
Muslims, by rejecting Jesus as the Son of God, not only contradict biblical truth but also inherit the full description of a Kafir as defined both linguistically and theologically: a denier of divine truth, a rejecter of God’s revealed Word.
Conclusion
The biblical and linguistic evidence is overwhelming: denial of Jesus as the Son of God is the chief mark of a Kafir. Since Islam categorically denies this truth, and opposes the divine identity of Jesus Christ, it falls under the very definition it often applies to others.
To those who reject Jesus’ divine sonship, we extend not hatred but clarity. We identify, based on Scripture, that such rejection places one in the realm of unbelief and opposition to God.
May God, through His grace and truth, open eyes to the revelation of His Son, Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Shalom.
Max Shimba
Servant of Jesus Christ, Our Great God and Savior – Titus 2:13
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